Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
PATTI TICKNOR'S VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT AT OFFICER KEN DEKLEINE'S SENTENCING HEARING FOR THE MURDER OF LORI MEULMAN DEKLEINE
LORI'S SISTER SPEAKS OUT FOR HER SISTER LORI, WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED AT THE HANDS OF OFFICER KEVIN DEKLEINE [HOLLAND MI PD]
Sentencing Statement
Your Honor, my name is Patti Ticknor. I am Lori DeKleines only sibling. I don’t even know where to begin. This experience has been horrendous and traumatizing for me beyond words.
I cared about Ken DeKleine as a brother-in-law for many years, until he premeditated and brutally killed my sister.
I admired him as Lori’s husband once, until I learned he was controlling, manipulative, verbally and physically abusive to my sister; giving the appearance that she was the one with issues. His orchestration of her behavior and my misunderstanding of it deprived me of a relationship with my sister for 20 years and now the rest of my life.
I admired him as a dad too, until he thought it would honestly be best to play God and kill their mother and leave her for them to find. His actions have deprived his children of both parents.
I admired his patriotism and service to his community once, until I learned it was only for show.
Judge, I could go on and on…..you know all the gory sickening details of what he did and the widespread effect it had on so many people.
Everything Ken has ever said or done has been a lie. He killed my sister, my parents baby girl and my niece and nephews mother. The pain and despair I feel are beyond words. I don’t understand how someone I once cared about was actually that evil and planned and brutally killed my sister. Because he thought his kids would be better off?? She LOVED them with all her heart. He quotes “being at peace and able to sleep now”. How does that make sense?? I struggle every single day to get my arms around the irrationalness of all this senselessness. I will never be the same. My spirit, heart and life are permanently dented and scarred. He has tarnished my sense of humanity and shaken my security. I am still suffering from depression, anxiety and disillusionment.
My heart aches and every fiber of my being hurts. I have missed countless days of work as a result. I feel so much anger towards Ken. It is hard to imagine ever being genuinely happy again. With Gods help and the support of my family and friends, I know one day I will be again. My faith is strong and God promises in his Word in Jeremiah 29 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” This has been both my sister and my favorite passage for many years. I did not even know that until the funeral…..
Aside from all the things I have mentioned….the thing that hurts the most is that I, in spite of the usual sibling rivalries, in the last 20 years did not get to experience a relationship with my sister where Ken wasn’t pulling all the strings and making circumstances appear to be opposite of what they were. We had reconciled literally a year ago. We were connecting and becoming friends. Years of misunderstandings were being sorted through and I actually, after so many years of disliking her, told her I loved her on Christmas day. The last time I saw her alive.
Ken has robbed me of the joy and pleasure I was experiencing in connecting with my sister. In my life on this earth, I will never experience that. He killed her. I am an only child. I will never see her at family functions again. Never read her silly emails. Never hear her weird sense of humor. Never get another goofy card from her. Never see her in her assortment of Disney clothes or “teacher sweaters”. Never see another scrapbook; that I used to mock but actually admired, again.
I am still grieving deeply, but I have hope. In Thessalonians, God promises that “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him…upon my death or his return we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” At that time I will see Lori, my sister, in heaven and we will have a perfect relationship forever. My hope lies in my loving, caring, faithful, holy and just God.
Ken’s earthly fate now lies in your hands Judge. His eternal judgment is in Gods. I want Ken DeKleine to never see the light of day again and to be placed in the worst possible prison possible far away from the state of Michigan. Since he has shown no value for human life or emotions as well as no remorse and has abused his authority as a police officer that he be placed in general prison population.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my sadness and pain as well as my hope.
Sentencing Statement
Your Honor, my name is Patti Ticknor. I am Lori DeKleines only sibling. I don’t even know where to begin. This experience has been horrendous and traumatizing for me beyond words.
I cared about Ken DeKleine as a brother-in-law for many years, until he premeditated and brutally killed my sister.
I admired him as Lori’s husband once, until I learned he was controlling, manipulative, verbally and physically abusive to my sister; giving the appearance that she was the one with issues. His orchestration of her behavior and my misunderstanding of it deprived me of a relationship with my sister for 20 years and now the rest of my life.
I admired him as a dad too, until he thought it would honestly be best to play God and kill their mother and leave her for them to find. His actions have deprived his children of both parents.
I admired his patriotism and service to his community once, until I learned it was only for show.
Judge, I could go on and on…..you know all the gory sickening details of what he did and the widespread effect it had on so many people.
Everything Ken has ever said or done has been a lie. He killed my sister, my parents baby girl and my niece and nephews mother. The pain and despair I feel are beyond words. I don’t understand how someone I once cared about was actually that evil and planned and brutally killed my sister. Because he thought his kids would be better off?? She LOVED them with all her heart. He quotes “being at peace and able to sleep now”. How does that make sense?? I struggle every single day to get my arms around the irrationalness of all this senselessness. I will never be the same. My spirit, heart and life are permanently dented and scarred. He has tarnished my sense of humanity and shaken my security. I am still suffering from depression, anxiety and disillusionment.
My heart aches and every fiber of my being hurts. I have missed countless days of work as a result. I feel so much anger towards Ken. It is hard to imagine ever being genuinely happy again. With Gods help and the support of my family and friends, I know one day I will be again. My faith is strong and God promises in his Word in Jeremiah 29 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” This has been both my sister and my favorite passage for many years. I did not even know that until the funeral…..
Aside from all the things I have mentioned….the thing that hurts the most is that I, in spite of the usual sibling rivalries, in the last 20 years did not get to experience a relationship with my sister where Ken wasn’t pulling all the strings and making circumstances appear to be opposite of what they were. We had reconciled literally a year ago. We were connecting and becoming friends. Years of misunderstandings were being sorted through and I actually, after so many years of disliking her, told her I loved her on Christmas day. The last time I saw her alive.
Ken has robbed me of the joy and pleasure I was experiencing in connecting with my sister. In my life on this earth, I will never experience that. He killed her. I am an only child. I will never see her at family functions again. Never read her silly emails. Never hear her weird sense of humor. Never get another goofy card from her. Never see her in her assortment of Disney clothes or “teacher sweaters”. Never see another scrapbook; that I used to mock but actually admired, again.
I am still grieving deeply, but I have hope. In Thessalonians, God promises that “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him…upon my death or his return we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” At that time I will see Lori, my sister, in heaven and we will have a perfect relationship forever. My hope lies in my loving, caring, faithful, holy and just God.
Ken’s earthly fate now lies in your hands Judge. His eternal judgment is in Gods. I want Ken DeKleine to never see the light of day again and to be placed in the worst possible prison possible far away from the state of Michigan. Since he has shown no value for human life or emotions as well as no remorse and has abused his authority as a police officer that he be placed in general prison population.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my sadness and pain as well as my hope.
JENA MEULMAN'S VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT AT THE SENTENCING HEARING FOR OFFICER DEKLEINE FOR THE MURDER OF LORI
LORI'S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT FOR HER DAUGHTER LORI, WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED AT THE HANDS OF OFFICER KEVIN DEKLEINE [HOLLAND MI PD]
Subject: Victim Oral Impact Statement by Jena Meulman
Date: August 25, 2008
Case Number: HL-08-062968-FY
Your Honor, my name is Jena Meulman, and I am Lori’s mom. Lori cannot speak for herself as her life was brutally taken from her at the hands of her husband Ken on Jan. 10, 2008. On that date Ken took upon himself the role of God and ended Lori’s life here on earth. We are assured that God was waiting for Lori with out stretched arms to take her to her eternal home to spend eternity with the Lord she loved with all her heart. I now have the peace that Lori is safe and free from a life of abuse and control.
I loved Ken and thought he was the most wonderful son-in-law anyone could have. The day we confronted Ken about abusing Lori all their married life, and he admitted to abusing and controlling her, was one of the worst days of my life From that day on I prayed daily for Lori’s safety, not knowing what Ken would do when he fully realized Lori was out of his control and he would hit rock bottom, and now I know – he killed her, the day before my birthday.. I will never be able to trust anyone again the way I trusted Ken.
The death of Lori has changed all aspects of my life. There will always be an empty chair at our family gatherings. I will never again experience a huge hug from her and hear her say “I love you Mom”. I will never get to share a Bible verse with her as we did weekly the last year of her life, or pray with her, never have her come to our home, with Bre and Topher to go waterskiing, never see her, Bre and Topher on our couch with arms and legs entwined watching a movie, will not see again the look of love and pride on her face at the achievements of Bre and Topher, will not hear her laugh again or laugh at her funny sense of humor, never to be the recipient of her writings or see her creative talents in her writings and her art work. My life has been changed forever and so, your Honor, I ask that you sentence Ken to life in prison without parole so that, in the name of faith, he can never control anyone like he did Lori. Then I can say with King David in Psalm 62: 5-7, “O God I find my rest in you, my hope is only in you, you alone are my rock and salvation, you only are my fortress where I am secure.
Subject: Victim Oral Impact Statement by Jena Meulman
Date: August 25, 2008
Case Number: HL-08-062968-FY
Your Honor, my name is Jena Meulman, and I am Lori’s mom. Lori cannot speak for herself as her life was brutally taken from her at the hands of her husband Ken on Jan. 10, 2008. On that date Ken took upon himself the role of God and ended Lori’s life here on earth. We are assured that God was waiting for Lori with out stretched arms to take her to her eternal home to spend eternity with the Lord she loved with all her heart. I now have the peace that Lori is safe and free from a life of abuse and control.
I loved Ken and thought he was the most wonderful son-in-law anyone could have. The day we confronted Ken about abusing Lori all their married life, and he admitted to abusing and controlling her, was one of the worst days of my life From that day on I prayed daily for Lori’s safety, not knowing what Ken would do when he fully realized Lori was out of his control and he would hit rock bottom, and now I know – he killed her, the day before my birthday.. I will never be able to trust anyone again the way I trusted Ken.
The death of Lori has changed all aspects of my life. There will always be an empty chair at our family gatherings. I will never again experience a huge hug from her and hear her say “I love you Mom”. I will never get to share a Bible verse with her as we did weekly the last year of her life, or pray with her, never have her come to our home, with Bre and Topher to go waterskiing, never see her, Bre and Topher on our couch with arms and legs entwined watching a movie, will not see again the look of love and pride on her face at the achievements of Bre and Topher, will not hear her laugh again or laugh at her funny sense of humor, never to be the recipient of her writings or see her creative talents in her writings and her art work. My life has been changed forever and so, your Honor, I ask that you sentence Ken to life in prison without parole so that, in the name of faith, he can never control anyone like he did Lori. Then I can say with King David in Psalm 62: 5-7, “O God I find my rest in you, my hope is only in you, you alone are my rock and salvation, you only are my fortress where I am secure.
PAUL MEULMAN'S VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT AT OFFICER KEN DEKLEINE'S SENTENCING FOR THE MURDER OF LORI
LORI'S FATHER SPEAKS OUT FOR HIS DAUGHTER LORI, WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED AT THE HANDS OF OFFICER KEVIN DEKLEINE [HOLLAND MI PD]
Subject: Victim Oral Impact Statement by Paul Meulman
Date: August 25, 2008
Case Number: HL-08-062968-FY
I thank you, Judge Bosman, for giving me the opportunity to speak. My name is Paul Meulman. I am Lori’s father.
Ken DeKleine was highly regarded in the Holland community. His image was very important to him. However, in his private life he was obsessed with the control of his wife, his children and his assets. While Ken was in Iraq in 2005-6, Lori was relieved of his abuse and control. She regained her self-respect during that time. She was mentally healthy. When he returned, he realized that he had lost some control and he began to lose control of himself. The courts approved a Personal Protection Order, gave Lori custody of the children and possession of the house. Ken was uncompromising in subsequent divorce proceedings. In his own mind, he concluded that the murder of Lori was his best option. He carried out his plan with no mercy.
His actions have had far reaching harmful effects on the children, many family members, their friends, the Holland Police Department, Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church, the Holland community and others. Ken manipulated and deceived many people with his side of the story. He did not consider the consequences of his actions.
Our Lori did not deserve the treatment that Ken gave her throughout their marriage. She was a great person and a great mother with many God-given talents. She shared those gifts and her love with her children, her family, her church and the community. Her stories about Ken’s abuse of her were shared with only a few people. I was included in that small group.
So how has this affected me? My reaction to the trial was one of sadness. I am sad because two lives were wasted. Lori is gone from this earth. I miss her love, her hugs, her humor and our talks about life. I will miss her art work and creative writing. She took great pride in showing her dad how good she was at water skiing. In the future, she cannot keep us informed about two of our grandchildren and show her pride in their achievements. She was a wonderful teacher for her children and for me. I feel a part of me ripped away. Thoughts of this event plague my mind frequently. Sometimes I cannot concentrate. I have lost a lot my joy in doing things. I have spent many sleepless nights trying to understand Ken’s selfish acts. I have questioned my faith and trust in some people. I have wondered why the Holland Police were not more effective in protecting Lori. However, during all of this my faith in God has been strengthened through the prayers and support of hundreds of people.
Ken willfully disregarded the laws of Michigan and the laws of his God. Your Honor, his destiny here on earth is in the hands of your court and the prison system. I have left the eternal destiny of Ken in the hands of God. Lori has been the only winner in this whole ordeal as she has been released from her world of fear, abuse and violence into her Heavenly home.
Subject: Victim Oral Impact Statement by Paul Meulman
Date: August 25, 2008
Case Number: HL-08-062968-FY
I thank you, Judge Bosman, for giving me the opportunity to speak. My name is Paul Meulman. I am Lori’s father.
Ken DeKleine was highly regarded in the Holland community. His image was very important to him. However, in his private life he was obsessed with the control of his wife, his children and his assets. While Ken was in Iraq in 2005-6, Lori was relieved of his abuse and control. She regained her self-respect during that time. She was mentally healthy. When he returned, he realized that he had lost some control and he began to lose control of himself. The courts approved a Personal Protection Order, gave Lori custody of the children and possession of the house. Ken was uncompromising in subsequent divorce proceedings. In his own mind, he concluded that the murder of Lori was his best option. He carried out his plan with no mercy.
His actions have had far reaching harmful effects on the children, many family members, their friends, the Holland Police Department, Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church, the Holland community and others. Ken manipulated and deceived many people with his side of the story. He did not consider the consequences of his actions.
Our Lori did not deserve the treatment that Ken gave her throughout their marriage. She was a great person and a great mother with many God-given talents. She shared those gifts and her love with her children, her family, her church and the community. Her stories about Ken’s abuse of her were shared with only a few people. I was included in that small group.
So how has this affected me? My reaction to the trial was one of sadness. I am sad because two lives were wasted. Lori is gone from this earth. I miss her love, her hugs, her humor and our talks about life. I will miss her art work and creative writing. She took great pride in showing her dad how good she was at water skiing. In the future, she cannot keep us informed about two of our grandchildren and show her pride in their achievements. She was a wonderful teacher for her children and for me. I feel a part of me ripped away. Thoughts of this event plague my mind frequently. Sometimes I cannot concentrate. I have lost a lot my joy in doing things. I have spent many sleepless nights trying to understand Ken’s selfish acts. I have questioned my faith and trust in some people. I have wondered why the Holland Police were not more effective in protecting Lori. However, during all of this my faith in God has been strengthened through the prayers and support of hundreds of people.
Ken willfully disregarded the laws of Michigan and the laws of his God. Your Honor, his destiny here on earth is in the hands of your court and the prison system. I have left the eternal destiny of Ken in the hands of God. Lori has been the only winner in this whole ordeal as she has been released from her world of fear, abuse and violence into her Heavenly home.
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